Believe it or not, Twitter joined the digital world approximately ten years ago. A decade is ancient when it comes to technology, and for many teachers, Twitter has not been a friend. How many times have you had to tell your students to get off Twitter over the years? And really, how much can a person learn using only 140 characters or less? The truth is, Twitter can support your Personalized Learning Network (PLN) and your professional development. It really can. First, let’s look at the definition of PLN. Sometimes referred to as a Personal Learning Network or a [...]

“I had been my whole life a bell, and never knew it until at that moment I was lifted and struck.”       —Annie Dillard The South by Southwest (SXSW) Education conference just wrapped up, and I thought I’d take a moment to share some notes and thoughts for anyone who might be interested. Before registering, I hadn’t even been aware that SXSW had an education conference. What did I know? Education conferences are usually hit-or-miss affairs: some sessions are interesting; some are dull and ordinary. Some addresses bring new information and insight; some rehash things you’ve heard a million [...]

Women’s History Month began last week. In 1980, President Carter signed documents proclaiming March 2−8 to be Women’s History Week; by 1987, Congress passed a proclamation establishing March as Women’s History Month. This year’s theme is “Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government.” With three women seated on the Supreme Court and a woman running for President of the United States, there could be no better theme for Women’s History Month 2016. In her Etsy Cartoon, Rebecca Cohen asks, “Did you know that a woman founded the oldest university in the world, [...]

Downey, et al. (2009) described the persistent and chronic nature of achievement gaps in our educational system as “the most complex and compelling educational dilemma facing schools in the 21st century.” Since the passage of NCLB in 2001—a law at its very essence designed to erase decades of inequality and futility born out in the quantitative and anecdotal data—very little, if any, progress has been made to eradicate the gaps between white, typically-abled students and their peers from historically underserved and underperforming groups: students of color, students learning English as a second language, students with disabilities, and students living [...]

Outside the classroom, the word “intervention” has pretty clear associations. Think of the literal meaning of the word—a coming between—and how it manifests itself in our culture. We all know of instances where people have had to place themselves in someone else’s pathway and make them travel in a different direction, usually because their current pathway is leading to danger or illness (we’re here because we love you, and we need to talk). Sometimes it’s simply behavioral; sometimes it’s medical, requiring the identification of a problem and the prescription of a treatment (you have an addiction; we’re sending you [...]

“Evidence shows that effective teachers are the most important in-school contributors to student learning.” —from “Best Practices for Evaluating Teacher Ed. Programs” How do we prepare effective teachers? What are the components of an effective teacher preparation program? To begin researching the answer, I wrote the blog “Teacher Education, Part 1: What Makes an Effective Teacher.” For this, I asked the experts—students ages 5−18—the following questions, “Who is your favorite teacher?” and “Why are they your favorite teacher?” What I learned is that students prefer teachers who are smart, kind, respectful, fair, and engaging. So how can teacher education [...]

As we celebrate the start of a new year, we simultaneously approach the midway point of the school year. This is a great opportunity to reflect on what has been accomplished academically for our students and take stock of what might require a “reset” based on current trends. An area of particular importance to me is the value of “intensive instruction or intensive intervention.” I refer to these concepts so often that it has become part of my vernacular on a daily basis in working with school personnel, particularly school directors. I preach it and I hear it reflected [...]

“Action expresses priorities.”   —Gandhi “Action is the foundational key to all success.”   —Pablo Picasso A new year has begun, and along with it come the resolutions–to eat better, exercise more, read more, stay in touch with friends, travel; the list goes on. The beginning of a new year for schools is much the same: we all start with great intentions and plans built around the important work necessary to improve student achievement outcomes. We know the research, we have the data, we have the personnel, and we know the great need that exists in our schools—but how do we [...]